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Duncan Gates
As a soon-to-be graduate of Oregon State University with focuses in a variety of fields I have found my interests primarily coalesce around translating data into insight, through the application of statistics, coding, and deep understanding of individual issues. After my internship experience this summer working for Data Science for the Public Good I have enhanced my focus on team based projects that will have significant positive impacts on the lives of others with the skills I have developed over the course of college.
Currently searching for a position that allows me to build tools leveraging a combination of visualization, machine learning, and software engineering to help people explore and understand their data in new and useful ways.
Education
B.S. in Economics w/ minors in Actuarial Science and Political Science
Corvallis, OR
Oregon State University
2020 - 2017
- Thesis: The Relationship Between Income Taxation, Social Benefits, and Wealth Inequality in OECD Countries: Exploring the Factors Contributing to Unequal Household Wealth
- Honors College Student
- GPA: 3.82
Research Experience
Data Science Intern
Data Science for the Public Good
Oregon State University
2020 - 2020
- Internship was split into training and research. The first half focused on getting interns up to speed on statistics, machine learning, visualization skills, and teamwork based coding. The second half was based on projects that were assigned to teams composed of two undergraduates, one graduate student, and one mentor (generally a professor).
- Work was done to measure the impact of the installation of a Selective Water Withdrawal Tower at the Pelton Dam on the Deschutes River. This investigation primarily was based on modelling river temperatures, but also allowed for learning, the team built an R Shiny application, presented at scientific symposiums, and worked collaboratively with officials from PGE, ODFW, ODEQ, and cities on the Deschutes.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
OSU Economics Research
Oregon State University
2020 - 2019
- Conducting economic research under the guidance of numerous professors
- Field research to gather panel and time series data
Industry Experience
LANGUAGES
English - Native
Spanish - Proficient
French - Beginner
I have studied and worked in a variety of capacities, ranging from political science to computer science and lifeguarding and kayaking to software coding respectively. I enjoy collaborative environments where I can learn from my peers.
Maintenance Worker
Portland, Oregon
Portland Parks & Recreation
2019 - 2019
- Worked for the Parks Department to maintain cleanliness of Downtown Portland parks
Rental Location Manager
Portland, Oregon
Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe
2019 - 2015
- Spent summers working as a rental location manager for a kayak company.
Lifeguard
Portland, Oregon
Portland Parks & Recreation
2016 - 2015
- Worked as a lifeguard at Montavilla Pool for two summers
Teaching/Tutoring Experience
I am passionate about education. I believe that any topic can be made accessible if the course is correctly configured for the students and enough effort is dedicated.
Improving your visualization in Python
Towardsdatascience.com
N/A
2020 - 2020
- Designed course to teach advanced visualization methods to beginners in Python
- Utilizes python, matplotlib, and seaborn.
Making Your Own Website with R Markdown
duncangates.me/writing
N/A
2020 - 2020
- Demonstration of how to build a website using R and markdown
- Finding it more and more useful to document why and how as I do projects
High School Math Tutoring
Corvallis High School
N/A
2019 - 2018
- Worked as a tutor for high school math students
Selected Data Science Writing
I write about data science and visualization methodology on my site.
Coding is Not Data Science
(Forthcoming at duncangates.me/writing)
N/A
Current - 2020
- How to remember basic and advanced statistics when coding with big data
- Has coding become accessible enough for anyone to do “data science”?
Selected Press (About Me)
Hopefully someone will write something about me one day!
T.B.D.
N/A
2021
- T.B.D.
Selected Press (By)
Fishy Business in the Deschutes? Estimating the Effects of Dam Operations on River Ecology
Data Science for the Public Good
N/A
2020 - 2020
- Water quality analysis as well as modeling of macroinvertabrate, and ecological patterns and trends
- Data sourced from ODEQ, ODFW, USGS, NOAA, PGE
Internship Visualization Sample
Selected Publications, Posters, and Talks
Wealth and Happiness: The Intersection of Consumption, the Opportunity to Consume, and Stability
Oregon State University
N/A
2020 - 2020
- Sole author
Thesis Sample
